What Nora Needed
by Amiyrasmom
Summary: Eighth in the What? Series. Nora gets to say her piece.


**Disclaimer: Once again…déjà vu anyone? Anyway, they're still not mine. Bass is still hot in a psychopath way. Miles is still tortured. Nora is still in love with him. Jason is conflicted. Charlie is obstinate. Aaron is stubborn. Ben is still dead. Danny is too. Rachel is a pain. And Tom still is and always will be an ass. Got it? Good.**

**A/N: Eighth one. Wow. I think I'm impressed with myself. I hadn't expected this show to enthrall me so much. But it has and now you all have to deal with my obsession. I know it's very sad but that's the way it is.**

**What Nora Needed**

Nora Clayton had never needed much, even before the blackout. As a child whose parents had divorced when her sister was a baby she had learned quickly how to get by on what she had. It had always made her mom so unbearably sad when she couldn't provide for her daughters so Nora had learned to sacrifice and do without. It wasn't bad it just was the way things were.

After the blackout when that man had broken into their house Nora had no need other than to keep Mia safe. Mia was the baby. She had to keep her little sister safe. So she covered Mia's mouth with her hand and held her breath.

The next morning Nora knew she needed to check on her mom. She was fairly sure of what she would find. If her mom had been able too she would have come to them as soon as the man had left. She hadn't come but with any luck it was only because she was injured. Nora prayed she was only injured. Luck wasn't her friend that day though.

Nora hated to lie. Especially to Mia. But this time it was necessary, needed. So she told Mia that Mom had gone to Dad's and they were supposed to come too. Mia whined and asked questions but she subsided and they went. Nora needed to get them to Dad. Then everything would be okay.

Dad wasn't there. Nora would have panicked but she needed to stay strong. For Mia. She needed Mia to understand that they were now alone but it would be all right. Nora would take care of them. Nora needed to take care of the last member of her family.

The years passed. It wasn't easy. But Nora did what she'd always done. She straightened her back and she got on with things. She made do. Mia grew. They both became bounty hunters. Their lives separated them but they would still meet with each other and do the things sisters did. Life wasn't perfect, it wasn't easy, sometimes it wasn't even close to good but Nora didn't need those things. She made do. Then she met him.

General Miles Matheson. Commanding General of the Monroe Militia. He was good looking, well-spoken, smart and he had these big brown eyes that just made her want to curl herself around him and never let go. Nora learned then what it was like when need and want coincided.

She wanted him more with every breath she took and she needed him like the night sky needs stars. She got him. And it was glorious. What they had was something that she'd thought only existed in books and the movies she barely remembered from before the blackout. It was wonderful and beautiful and everything she'd ever needed in her life.

His fire burned her. And everything changed. Miles became cold, uncaring, unfeeling, ruthless. He started to scare her. Oh, never physically. Miles wouldn't hurt her. But the ice that was slowly winning over his fire was killing her slowly. His brown eyes became lifeless and dull. She couldn't be with him. She needed him still and wanted him but she couldn't watch him become someone else, something else. She needed to leave.

So she did. She left and she tried to forget him. She never could. But Nora did what she always did. She made do. She straightened her spine and got on with things. She met someone else and she loved him. She didn't need him but she did want him and she did love him and that was good. Nora didn't think she could survive that all-consuming need again. She let him teach her to be soft, to want instead of need. It was nice and quiet and safe and she missed Miles' fire but it was still good. She got pregnant and that was good too. She was so happy. Someone she would need again. Someone to love and teach and hold. The baby was excellent.

The soldiers came then. They came and they killed her child. She beat the crap out of them and her new man looked at her like she was a monster. The stupid militia soldiers had killed her son and her lover's love for her. She needed vengeance. Justice. A reason. Anything to make her son's death not so meaningless. She joined the rebellion.

She'd heard rumors that Miles had left the Militia but she didn't want to see him again. Not yet. Not so soon. Besides knowing Miles as well as she did meant that she knew the fire was still iced over. Still gone. She needed the fire. She still needed Miles but she was used to doing without. She could make do again.

Her rebel contacts told her about the gun. They couldn't let the Militia keep something like that. Nora needed to get her hands on that gun. She needed to give it to the rebellion. She needed to get arrested. So she did.

She needed to time things perfectly. She needed the gun and she would get the gun. And then he was there. Miles. What the Hell was Miles doing here? Was he really rescuing her? What the Hell?

And then she saw his eyes. His brown eyes, like the Hershey's Special Dark bars that she and Mia had devoured gleefully before the blackout. And they burned again. The fire was there. So bright and hot and beautiful. She went with him. She could let herself want him again. She could need him again.

And he took Nora to her. Nora knew that this woman-child with the blue eyes filled with the same fire had if not ignited then fanned the flames inside Miles. This woman-child that was his daughter. And Nora found out it was possible to need more than one person. She needed Charlie. Needed Charlie's smile and her fire.

She needed Charlie in a different way but she did need her. She needed to be with them both. Needed to be a big sister again. Needed to feel Miles against her. Needed to know Charlie was safe and happy. Needed to burn with Miles' fire.

Nora Clayton needed them and they needed her. It was glorious. It was wonderful. It was beautiful. It was forever. Even with the tragedy and battles and sorrow to come, it was good. Finally Nora Clayton had everything, _everything_, she needed.


End file.
